Hybrid View

Anybody NOT Beach People?

I know that my husband and I are in the minority, but does anybody else on this board NOT like lying on loungers in the sand? We have been to CTI 4 times, and are probably going back in November. CSS 5 times (we got married there this year.) We tend to hang on in the A/N areas, meaning the island at CTI or the pool at CSS. Last November, we tried out CN. As much as I liked the resort (loved the dining options, the compactness of it, and of course the sunsets over the beach) we did not like lying in loungers on the beach because of the sand constantly blowing: in our eyes, in our beach bags, in our sunblock, etc. I think it was windier than normal last November when we were there, so that might explain some of it. (The water was never the glasslike pond surface that I promised my husband. Big waves to knock you off your feet every day.)

I realize there is a HUGE pool area with no sand involved - not A/N though so we probably wouldnt be interested (wet suits and all). I guess I am more curious if we are the only ones out there who are bugged by the sand in everything phenomenon. Since so many people on this board ARE beach people.

I think your experience was unusual. We are beach people, spending almost all day every day on the beach, and we've never experienced the wind and sand problem that you did. We've been to CN 15 times with our first visit in 2000.

We are returning for our 5th trip to CN in November. We aren't lay on the beach kind of people either. We LOVE to walk the beach and find that romantic but we have more fun sitting somewhere and relaxing and just walking around rather than laying out. We don't really lay out at the pool either but still have a total blast at CN.

I guess my thoughts on this are.... why bother going down to JA if you don't enjoy the beach? There are plenty of places in the US that have great pool areas, etc that you can enjoy instead. But only JA has that beach!

Mona, I am totally in agreement with you. We are really not beach people either. I hate sand in every crack and crevice (especially when AN ) Give me a pool any day! However, a walk along the beach or a dip into the ocean is definitely a must!

I completely understand what you're saying about blowing sand. We've gone to Aruba a few times, and there is a constant strong tradewind blowing. It's impossible to have a drink on the beach. Even if it's covered, the straw will get sand in it. We tend to go to CSA in January/February, and have found the winds at that time of year to be light. We've never had a problem with sand in our drinks at CSA. We do love the beach. I love pulling a couple of the small chairs up to the shore line and sitting there staring at the waves with my feet in the surf. It doesn't get any better than that.

While I wish there was a pool at CN's nude beach I don't mind laying on the beach ... but my wife loves it! My wife loves a nice beach and would stay there sun up to sun down on vacation, but I would choose a pool all day if it were just me.

My biggest problem with the sand is trying to eat out on the sand. I have always hated it! We have been to a lot of different resorts in Jamaica and have attended a lot of "Beach Party Dinner" type things on the beach... and hated all of them. When I sit in a plastic chair in the sand the ends of the legs dig in and I can't move my chair to where I am comfortable. By the end of dinner my chair legs are about 2 inches deep in the sand and I can't slide it back to get up. Plus one of the things I learned a long time ago is that to avoid getting bites from sand fleas you stay off the beach after the sun goes down. I hate to spray poison all over my legs so that I can go eat dinner in the sand. It would please me if the tables were always set up on the pool deck for the ' beach' parties. Generally, we make a reservation or go to Rockhouse for dinner.

My husband & I are also not beach/sand people. We prefer to lay by the pool or the pool bar. We pretty much stay out of the sun, but love the warmth of Jamaica. We have only visited CSA where there is no A/N area.

Normally the sand on the beach at CN doesn't blow & the wind is very calm .... Last December over Christmas when we were there, though, it was a different story for 2 days out of the 9 we were there & the wind was awful with the most HUGE waves we've ever seen in Negril out of a dozen trips ..... The other days, it was calm like normal with that glass like water - especially in the mornings. Sorry you didn't get to see it that way because it really is GREAT. We've never been to CTI, but have been to CSS once & we missed the Negril beach SO BAD that we will not be going back to the Ochi side of the island again. We didn't realize what a HUGE part of our Jamaican vacation the beach was until we didn't have the long stretch of white sand either at CN or CSA. So guess to answer your question - We are beach people .... Even though, we tend to spend about 1/2 our time at that GREAT pool at CN.

I can understand where you're coming from, but as others have said, it is usually really calm in Negril. My theory is we can do the whole pool thing at home. I don't travel 1k+ miles to do the same, I'm here for the beach (among other things of course). But that's why they have options, to each their own.

Although we are totally beach people, wind blowing the sand around is never fun. We went to a resort in Turks & Caicos one Feb. and enjoyed the most beautiful beach you can imagine. However, a few days in a bit of a cold snap hit and with it very high winds. The red flag flew (no, whipped in the wind) All water sports were a no go (except the kite surfers who loved it!) and they moved the cat away to keep it from landing on the dock! That resort only had one old, crappy pool that was exposed to the elements being near the beach, so it didn't offer much relief.
That was extreme, but I also find that I have less tolerance for being knocked around by waves than I used to. So now I pay more attention to the pools at resorts I book, especially if the ocean is known to be rougher. The problem is, at all age resorts the pools are always filled with screaming, splashing kids, and I absolutely HATE that. You can't relax, you can't swim, and you can't float. That's another thing to love about Couples. If the ocean water is too rough, the pools are a good option (if they are warm enough). I think at CB in Dec. we'll be spending time around the pools.

I'll get in the water now and then, just mostly wading. But overall, we like to be NEAR the beach without being IN the ocean. The pools at CTI suit us fine. They're close enough to smell the seabreeze while never getting jelly-stung. Sorry about my paranoia but we just aren't ocean people, even in Florida where we've been going all our lives. We dig pools, with an ocean view.

I'm with ya on this one !! We're coming up on our 48th Caribbean/Mexican vacation & I HATE the sand !! I LOVE to look at it & the ocean but I can't stand walking (or lying on a lounge) in sand, or going into the ocean.

And, for everyone who says just stay home then.............my view from my own pool (here in the Northeast) definitely does not include palm trees or white sand !! Nor do I have an all-inclusive package at my house (at least where someone else cooks my meals & makes my drinks) !! And I for sure can't use my own pool for our April or December trips.

Ok, thanks guys, I feel a little less like we are freaks. I should clarify, we LOVE walking along the beach, and swimming in the ocean usually at least once a day, even when we are by the pool. My husband claims he needs to get in salt water every so often to rejuvenate . Its just a blowing sand discomfort. I really want to try Negril again next March with my parents. We have gone to CSS twice with them and they love it, but would really like to try the other side too (not A/N with us of course - gah.). I'm guessing that our trip 2nd week of November 2012 was unusually rough weather. Until then, I believe hubby was working on reservations today at CTI this November. Hallelujah! Couples here we come again.

Thanks for all the input. Nice to know we aren't walking around with 3 heads or anything. Maybe.

We've been to CN 4 times and have #5 booked for January. We've never experienced the blowing sand or waves that knock you off your feet. We've been there January thru March. Maybe we got lucky? We do the AN side as well as the swim up bar. We aren't big beach people but we do enjoy it.

We are both more pool people but love to look at white sand and blue water! Having said that I shocked my OH by asking to spend time on the beach when we were in Mo Bay as the sand was so solid and the sea so warm

I think we may have been there the same week you were. As others have said, and you discovered, this was highly unusual for Negril. Ironically, the wind quit blowing the morning we left. We ARE beach people, and we'll be back at CN for the third time in 112 days!

We love to walk on the beach, swim in the clear blue water etc... etc. We just set up our nest poolside for the day. Why is that weird? Not all of us like lounging in the beach sand all day. You don't need to do that to enjoy Couples anyhow. To each their own.. BTW: CTI is the perfect resort for pool bums like us!

My sister in law goes to the beach every summer, I once asked her why she goes if she dislikes it so much. Her answer was, she likes the pool there. My husband is not much of a beach person either, but I can't drag him off of the beach in Negril. He loves it. I love the beach, period, if there is a beach at my vacation destination, I am on it! To each his own!

There is no unhappiness like the misery of sighting land (and work) again after a cheerful, careless voyage ~Mark Twain

We are completely with you Mona. I could, well I do, watch the ocean for days, from Tower Isle, my balcony, the patio, the lobby. Listening to the waves at night is incredibly relaxing. Watching the sun come up or go down over the water is beautiful. Walking barefoot in the sand feels great, itsjust therapy for my feet and the same with the salt water for my skin, and the salt air. But why anyone wants to lay on the beach, even in a lounge chair, or eat there, or any other activity for that matter, just escapes me. I'm happy for them that they enjoy it, I may try it again sometime, but not my thing.

Here's a suggestion...if you're not beach people, find a resort in some country that's not on an island or on a beach! .

Don't have to be beach people to enjoy Jamaica for sure. We are NOT beach people but LOVE Couples Negril. Just because we don't want to be on the beach, doesn't mean we need to "find a resort in some country that's not on an island or on a beach!"

While I never have been a beach or laying on the beach/pool person, we went to CN one year and I got hooked! Loved the beach and laying under the sea grape trees. The water was amazing. I think we went to the pool once there. however, now I love the beach at CSS and could spend all morning there. I really love the mineral pool, so we tend to go there in the afternoon where My hubby is under the umbrella and I sit in the glorious sunshine! took me 50 years to figure out what all the fuss was about. hahaha. I have issues with getting to close to the rocks however so I tend to float close to the raft. Guess some things never change.

When we went to Mexico for our 25th, we spent the morning on the beach under a Cabanna and got in the water a few times. It was rough, rip tide at times even just a few feet in...rocky as well on the bottom. We ate at the grill, had some drinks, took in the sight and smells of the water and landscape. Around 11 we moved to the swim up bar and stayed there until 4pm- we loved the swim up bar- met so many people from all over US and other countries. That was our routine during our 7 day trip...I expect it will be the same for us in Jamaica when we arrive in December. I can't wait to float around on the floaties out in the crystal clear water...